Jersey City man admits $60K counterfeit check scheme

Mark A. Woodhouse, 51, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty on May 9, 2013, to using counterfeit checks and stolen credit card number to purchase $60,000 in retail items.

A Jersey City man admitted today to using counterfeit checks and a stolen credit card number to purchase more than $60,000 in retail items that he then resold, Acting state Attorney General John J. Hoffman said.

Under the plea agreement, state prosecutors will recommend that Woodhouse be sentenced to three years in state prison. He would also have to pay $60,493 in restitution. Woodhouse is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.

Woodhouse was arrested in Jersey City on Oct. 29, 2013 by the state Division of Criminal Justice and Jersey City police in a sting operation in which he sold a boiler for $960 to another man. The boiler had been purchased for nearly $2,000 at the Home Depot in Secaucus using a stolen credit card number.

In court today Woodhouse admitted he used counterfeit checks to make approximately $60,000 in retail purchases across the state. The state started its investigation after the state Department of Children and Families was alerted by its bank that a counterfeit check bearing the routing, account and check numbers of a legitimate check issued by the department was used to purchase a tablet computer at a Staples store.

Eventually the investigators identified numerous fraudulent transactions linked to Woodhouse.

Authorities say that Woodhouse obtained counterfeit checks from other people that bore account and routing numbers stolen from legitimate checking accounts.

In all, 22 counterfeit checks and a stolen credit card number were used to make 23 purchases totaling more than $60,000. Among the purchases were approximately $49,000 in construction materials, more than $8,000 in electronic devices, and more than $3,000 in automotive parts.

Woodhouse resold the stolen goods to contractors and others.

“Identity theft and financial fraud perpetrated by con artists like Woodhouse cost banks, credit card companies, retailers and private citizens many millions of dollars every year,” Hoffman said in a statement. “We put an end to Woodhouse’s expensive crime spree, and we will continue to ensure that these cases are aggressively investigated and prosecuted.”

Elie Honig, director of the Division of Criminal Justice, said that the investigation is ongoing and he anticipates "filing charges against additional suspects.”

“These crimes pose a threat to businesses and individuals alike, and we will spare no effort to bring those responsible to justice,” Honig said.